Locking device



' 0. JOHNSON.

LOCKING DEVICE. APPLICATION mgo SE PT. 8. 1919.

Pmmd June 7, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

V'E Ida C, L. JOHNSON.

LOCKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION man SEPT. 22, m9.

mum $6 7, @9216 ilyswmmo 2 $HEETS-SHEET 2.

i is Nil lime in [N L. JOHNSQN, OF CHICAG-Q, ILLINOIS, faSSIG-NOR 1'0 JQHNSGN AUTQMGBEILE 11406231 (353., Q? CHZCAGQ, ILLINOIS, ll CORLEQEATIQN 9F ILEFZNOES.

LUCKEN'G EJEV'ICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June "2. 119%1.

Application filed September 9, 1M9. Serial l lo. assess.

of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cool;

and State of lllinois, have invented certain new and useful lmprovemenis in Looking Eevices: and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same. reference being had he the accompanying drawings, and .to the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of'thisspecification.

This-infvention relates to locking devices, and, although not restricted to such use, is pai-iziculailiy adapted for securing spare tires to-an automobile and other purposes Where a padlbclr and chain is used at the present time.

Automobile tire looks as heretofore consiructed do not grip the hire firmly or iii. icy will grip a tire of one size the will not go around a larger tire and a sma ler sized tire is not held firmly thereby.

An additional disadvantage of the. previous forms of tire locks 1s that they have been cons brucsed of relatively soft material, so that they could be out through by a file I oeoiher cussing tools.

disadvantage of the previous forms of tire locks is that they are apt to in'lolfihe tire tread.

Also the prior forms of tire locks have noi; been adapled for use with either single or double lire supports.

is is an objeci, therefore. of the preseni; invention to provide a tire lock which may be adjusied to grip firmly a tire of any desired siy I ll; is an object of the invention to provide a tire lock which, although flexible, may be formed with a hardened steel surface so that it cannot be cut through by means of a file, hack-saw or similar tool.

lt is also an object of the invention to provide a tire lock which will grip and look a pair of tires as Well as a single tire.

it is also an object oi? the invention to provide a tire lock having a relatively broad bearing surface upon the tire so that it will not injure its tread.

Uther and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and drawings.

'llhe invention {in a preferred form) is illustraied in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

Qn the drawings: v l igure 1 is a rear View of an automobile having a tire lock applied thereto embodying the features of the pi'esent'invention.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2--2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation ofthe tire lock.

Fig. l is a section on the line if-4e of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section 011 the line 5 5) of Fin". 4-;

@ig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 5 of a modified form of armored cable.

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 4C.

Fig. 8

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8, WliZll. parts removed.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged top plan view of ihe nut with the Wings omitted.

As shown on the drawings:

A tire 1 is shown mounted on a tire support or carrier 2 secured to the back of an automobile 3. The tire support or carrier may conveniently consist of a ring with a curved flange 4} around its inner edge for engagement with the bead of a hire, as shown more parijicnlarly in Fig. 2.

The tire loci: comprises bar 5 and an armored cable 6 deeachably secured al; its ends to the bar. The construction of 'lhe armored cable is shown more particularly in land 5. This armored cable is formed a stranded cable 7, preferably of steel Wire having attached to its ends externally threaded Eerrninals 8 and 9. A very satisiiachory method of uniting ihe cable so the terminals is by Welding followed by casehardening so that not only the terminals but also the end of the cable is made sufficiently hard to resist cutting or drilling. Intermediate the terminals 8 and 9, are arranged a series of rings 10, provided with spherical engaging surfaces 11. so that each ring may rock or rotate on the adjacent ring in order that the cable as a whole may be flexed Within the desired limits. Preferably these rings are formed of steel case-hardened after machining to the desired size so than they cannot be cut through by a file or other Similar tool.

is a section on lzhe line S 8 of:

. one two or more tires or with tires or other parts of various sizes. .l wo'apertures are provided in the end oi the bar 5 for alternative engagement with the-terminal 8. ()ne of these apertures 11, is arranged trans versely of the bar while the other aperture 12 is arrangedlongitudinally therein. 0r-

dinarily the transverse aperture is employed when only one tire is to be locked. as shown in Fig. 2, while the longitudinal aperture is employed when the tire support is wide enough to carry two tires.

The terminal 9 of the armored cable is arranged to pass freely through a transverse aperture 13 in the opposite ends of the bar A nut id is provided for engagement with the projecting end of the terminal 9., so that the cable may be drawn tightly around a tire so as to hold it firmly ipon its support. Conveniently this nut may be formed with wings 15 so that it may be operated by hand without the aid of tools. T he nut is ordinarily held in place on the lower side of the bar 5 by means of a U-shaped flange 16 formed on the underside of the bar 5 for engagement with a groove 17 on the upper part of the nut. lVith this arrangement the nut may he slid out of en.- gagcment with the flange 16 after the terminal 9 has been detached therefrom. So long as the terminal and the nut are in engagement. the latter can only rotate and cannot move a my from the bar 5.

In order to prevent an unauthorized detachment of the nut from the end of the terminal 9, suitable locking devices are provided. In the present case this look comprises a bolt 15:, slidable parallel to the aperture 13. for engagement with one or other of a series of recesses 19, in the upper face oi the out. This bolt'18 is guided at its upper end by a p n 20. secured to a plug 21 threaded into an aperture in bar 5. This plug 21 is cut off after insertion so that it cannot be subsequently removed. Around the pin 20 is a light spiral spring 22, adapted normally to hold the bar 18 in engagement with one of the shoulders formed on the nut by the recesses 19. In order that the member 18 may be withdrawn when desired, suitable'key ope ated devices may be employed. line of the most convenient de vices for this purpose'is a cylinder or pin lock 23, having a rotating cylinder 2st. Secured to the inner end of this cylinder 24;, is a cam 25, having a pin 27 adapted to extend into a recess 26 in the outer face of the bar 18. By inserting a key into the slot in the cylinder 2%, the latter may be turned so as to bring the pin 27 into engagement with the upper shoulder of the recess 26, and thereby lift the bolt out of engagen'ient with the nut l l against the action of the spring 22. l l hen this has been accomplished the nut may be freely rotated so as to disengage it from the terminal 9. As it would be awkward to have to retain pressure upon the key in the lock to hold the member out of engagement. means are preferably provided for releasably holding the lock and the member 18 in retracted position.

For this purpose a leaf spring 29 is provided adapted to engage the end of the canr 25 so that when the latter is moved upwardly to release the member 18 the leaf spring presses against the underside of this cam and tends to hold it in that position against the action of the spring 22.

The operation is as follows: 4

After the tire has been placed upon its support, the terminal 8 of the armored cable is threaded into the aperture 11 and the bar 5. The latter is then placed under the support for the tire and the armored cable is then brought around the the so that the other terminal 9 may be passed through the aperture 13. The lock is then operated to retract the member 18, although this is not essential in View of the inclined surfaces of the recesses 19 and the end of the member 18, which allows the nut to be rotated so as to bring it into engagement with the terminal 9, while preventing rotation in the opposite direction to bring about the disengagement. The nut is rotated until the cable has been brought into firm contact. with the tire. When it is desired to remove the tire, the key is inserted in the lock and ,the cylinder 24: is rotated to raise the mem ber 18 out of engagement with the nut. The latter is then rotated to release the terminal 9, after which the terminal 9 is pulled out of the aperture 13 and the device removed from the tire and tire support.

I am aware that numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the princi" p les of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A locking device comprising a. bar. a flexible retaining member having one end secured to one end of the bar, said bar having an aperture at its other end for the passage of the other end of the retaining member therethrough a nut for engagement with the assume I cable having threaded terminals, said bar havinga threaded aperture at one end for engagement with one terminal and'an aperture at the other end for the free passage t ofothe other terminal therethrough, a nut 10 the last mentioned terminal, and a key confor engagement with the projecting end of trolled lock adapted normally to prevent detachment of the'nut from said terminal,

3. A locking device comprising a bar, a cable having threaded terminals, said bar having two threaded apertures at one end for alternative engagement With one terminal, one of said apertures being transversely and the other longitudinally arranged within the bar, said her also having an aperture at the other end'for the free passage of the other terminal therethrough, a nut forengagement with the projecting end of the last mentioned terminal, and a look adapted normally to prevent detachment of the nut from said terminal.

4. A locking device comprising a bar, a

retaining. member having one end secured to one end of the bar, sald bar havlng an aperture at its other end for the passage of the other threadedendof the retaining member therethrough, a nut for engagement with the projecting'portion of the threaded end, a locking member movable parallel to the threaded end adapted releasably to engage a shoulder on the nut to prevent its' rotation, a spring for normally holding the locking, member in engagement with the nut and key operated means for retracting said member against the action of said spring.

5. A locking device comprising a bar, a retaining member having one end secured to one end of the bar, said bar having an aperture at its other end for the passageof the other threaded end of the retaining member therethrough, a nut for engagement with the projecting portion of the threaded end, said nut. having top grooves and a side groove, a flange integral with saidfbaradapted to engage in the side groove of said a locking member adapted to releasably en-v grooves of the nut to gage inone of the top a spring for holding prevent its rotation,

the locking member. inengagement With thenut, and means for retracting saidmember against the action of sald spring.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two nut to hold the nut against axial movement, 

